Born in Wales, brought up and educated in Ipswich Suffolk. Allan trained as an art teacher in Newman College Birmingham from (1969-72).

Throughout his teaching career he encouraged young people to express their creativity through art. On retirement, Allan devoted himself to his own practice gaining a first class Honours degree Fine Art at Belfast School of Art, University of Ulster.

As a painter, his subject matter ranges from landscapes, both country and city scape to figures, from observation to imagination, from reality to dreams. The consistent thread in his work is constant experimentation and accepting the creative challenge that the first mark on the canvas will hopefully lead in exciting, as yet unknown directions. He aims to produce artwork which is prompted by our environment but does not copy it, reflects what surrounds us but takes on a unique life and meaning of its own.

Allan’s work has been extensively and successfully shown in galleries throughout N.Ireland where he lived for 30 years. The last seven years, Allan has lived in the Peak District, Derbyshire. He was recently short-listed for the prestigious John Moores exhibition and his paintings are increasingly being recognised as unique and extraordinary works of contemporary art.